Wet Breaching Dams - Emergency and Non-Emergency Situations

Performing breaches of dams is commonplace; they are often a routine first-level step of major rehabilitation efforts. It is preferred that these breaches be performed on dams with drained reservoirs. However, more and more breach situations involve dams with full (or partially fill) reservoirs. The reasons for this situation is multi-faceted, particularly as we respond to the national movement to rehabilitate a large number of older dams exhibiting severe safety deficiencies. We often face financial constraints due to austere fiscal times, hydraulic emergencies, and the ever-present inoperable outlet works. The bottom line is easy to find: more and more dam breach situations involve cutting dams retaining great volumes of water. I am reminded of an old Bob Dylan line when thinking about wet breach situations: cutting a dam with a full reservoir behind it is like “balancing a mattress on a bottle of wine”; if anything can go wrong, it probably will. It is little wonder the elusive art of wet breaching is only beginning to rise above a level of traditional civil engineering taboos.